UPDATE: Now with scanner audio from that night. Most of it happens at the beginning, and you can tell the officer was clearly shaken.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmKHH4-ZOyc[/youtube]
SWAT a fly with a Bearcat? Does it look like it is driving on the sledding hill? (Image, Argus Leader Media)
This is a guest submittal;
The night of our recent police shooting was a glorious Sioux Falls winter evening. The weather was just right for some of us to be outside enjoying the crisp, calm night. There are people in the Midwest who enjoying walking on these types of evenings. There is a head clearing we are able to accomplish like at no other time of day or night. Its why we ski in bitter cold weather, it focuses our minds on what is important. It also brings to light the insanity of our recent police actions.
There is too much BS already involved in the Tuthill Park police shooting trying to justify the basic actions of police departments in the United States including ours. Militarization to protect and serve? Shooting first to ask the dead, Â questions later? Policing forces driving around in cars, SUVs and Bearcats as if in fear? They see a person walking down a street in a hoodie and shoot first. Why?
Our current policing policies are sick. At what point do we quit killing citizens, maiming them and destroying their property because we have unskilled, undereducated people expressing their small man insecurities while wearing a badge? SWAT driving onto a lawn with a Bearcat, blowing windows out of laundry room just to scare someone into submission? Destroying innocent people’s property because the policing forces are afraid to engage the person holed up behind a stranger’s washing machine? You know the a human being will eventually give up if the utilities are shut-off, it might take longer but no one or property will likely get hurt. It’s this basic.
To everyone trying to justify this random shooting into the dark, it is not a matter to be swept under the rug. Killing in Florida, Ferguson, Staten Island or Sioux Falls out of a perceived fear by a policing force is never right. It is the police who have caused their own fear. The current system creates the mistrust. Police or citizens shooting first because they are afraid? Bullshit. Who made the policing forces the judge, jury and executioner?
What if the random shooting into the dark hurt or killed a very innocent person driving by on Cliff Avenue. Does the person walking through Tuthill Park get charged with murder because the cop was afraid?
We Americans are not respecting our policing forces because they have not earned it. Fire departments earn our respect everyday by running into danger to save us. Our current policing departments demand our respect at the end of a gun barrel or Taser.
Peel’s Principles of Modern Law Enforcement
Written by Sir Robert Peel, when he established the Metropolitan London Police in 1829
1. The basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder as an alternative to the repression of crime and disorder by military force and severity of legal punishment.
2. The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behavior and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect.
3. The police must secure the willing cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain public respect.
4. The degree of cooperation of the public that can be secured diminishes, proportionately, to the necessity for the use of physical force and compulsion in achieving police objectives.
5. The police seek and preserve public favor, not by catering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to the law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws; by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of society without regard to their race or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humor; and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.
6. The police should use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to achieve police objectives; and police should use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a police objective.
7. The police at all times should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the intent of the community welfare.
8. The police should always direct their actions toward their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary by avenging individuals or the state, or authoritatively judging guilt or punishing the guilty.
9. The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them.
In some ways I agree with you and in some ways I do not.
Some of the reasons for the situations were in are due to a growing number of ex military members in the police force. I’m sure that is going to make some mad, but this is not a slam against the military members. Military members are taught a certain way to handle situations and that is not the best method to deal with the general public. When you are taught the military way, it is difficult to change your ways.
Police and the law enforcement community have moved away from “protect and serve” to “arrest and prosecute”. This along with a mentality that if something happens, somebody must be held responsible is making police the bad guys in some peoples eyes.
Police need to get back out there and visit with the citizens they work for. When is the last time you saw an officer walk through your neighborhood? Police need to get to know the people. If the police make friends with people, people will help the police.
We need to go back in time to when the cops would take you home if you had too much to drink, or bring your kids home if they got in trouble.
I’m not certain that the situation we have going around the country is all racially motivated. I think people have been building up a dislike for police for a long time. Police can not make questionable traffic stops, for example, and expect the public not to get upset after a while.
I am with you in that police have caused a lot of their own problems and have become their own worst enemy. I see too many police officers who think they are above the general public and that the police are better then everybody. The police are no different then the rest of us and need to get back to the point of helping the public.
Let’s get this straight and put5 the RESPONSIBILITY for creating the current relationship climate between public and “law enforcement” where it belongs – on the NRA.
The NRA who INSIST that EVERYONE have access to ANY kind of armament they choose-and feel free – no, make that OBLIGATED – to USE it at the drop of a hat.
No go out there an sell them guns -son.
It is apparent that Scott “I hate pigs” Ehrisman and his pessimistic conspiracy theory brain dead ilk will not be happy until a police officer dies in Sioux Falls. Sad.
So an officer or citizen should let someone pointing a gun at them actually let the person shoot at them first before addressing the threat? I don’t think so. I have to think most clear-thinking people would agree.
Someone just taking a walk in a park, maybe, maybe not.
If the police officer had just ignored the individual, and that individual found frozen to death, would there not have been a louder outcry than the outcry about the woman who had been found frozen to death in a parking ramp?
I do not know the whole story behind the incident, and I doubt that anyone else does either other than the officer involved. Was he wrong, maybe, maybe not.
That right there is absolute bullshit that fuels the fire for more folks to get hurt or killed. The police have not earned “your respect”? Shoot first ask the dead?
The epitome of the knee jerk douchebag hiding behind a keyboard.
http://www.odmp.org/
Hit a new low Scott.
Bob, your statement is ironic. Because if the officer would not have gotten out of his vehicle to begin with, nothing probably would have happened. What compelled him to leave his vehicle anyway? It wasn’t like the ‘suspect’ was running at his vehicle with guns a blazing. As for waiting for a cop to die, that is a sad statement. Anytime anyone dies from a gunshot wound in this country, it is a sad incident, I hate guns, the stupidest invention ever created.
Uh, maybe he got out of his vehicle to tell the person the park was closed? As in doing his job. Come on.
Bill- no evidence – ZERO – even in the officer’s own mind that there was an actual gun being pointed at him. He stated that he “thought” he saw what “may have been” a gun. Shoot first (based on imagining what MIGHT BE out there 100 yards away in the dark) – figure it out later attitude.
lil, grow a pair and just just consider your knew jerk reaction. I submitted this to make people think about how insane the stupidity of that night was. Now I have listened to the recording. l now know I’m right.
BAH HA AHA …. If it weren’t for guns, pudgy little guys like you and Rufux would have been clubbed by the village bullies long ago. It think it’s high time the police took a few days off to see just how many of you need them. Guns and ammo would be sold out in a few minutes.
I believe the NRA is as detrimental as the liberal left wing, BUT to blame todays issues on them is just radically gullible.
Todays issues is the result of the moral decay and crumbling of respect of authority. The first poster brought out some valid points about ex military. We train them to be killing machines then send them around the world to guard a water well. That aggression has to go somewhere. BUT they wear the badge and they can’t shoot you if YOU LISTEN TO THEM. Getting shot by an officer is a lot like getting hit by a train. Not really that complicated and you can easily prevent it.
Does our police have ex military gear. HELL Fuck Yah. Your dumbass elected officials ARE GIVING IT AWAY!!!! It’s like the trifecta of stupidity. Democrats can say no to a hand out, Republicans can’t say no to shit that might be destructive and idiot local elected officials are too lazy to say “maybe this is a bad idea”.
Why would a cop step out of his car when he is approached by a person dressed in black walking in a closed park at night, gosh I wonder?
http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/21/us/new-york-police-officers-shot/index.html
Just take a look at some of the crazy shit that Dan has written on this blog and tell me that couldn’t happen here. We all know he’s just the tip of the bat shit crazy iceberg.
BTW, if you haven’t read the grand jury’s finding in the Fergusson shooting and think the dead kid couldn’t have prevented his own death, you’re just an imbecile.
Ruf – Sounds like you have it all figured out including the officer’s observations, state-of-mind and the distances involved. Congratulations.
ljl, grow a pair and just just consider your knee jerk reaction. I submitted this to make people think about how insane the stupidity of that night was. Now I have listened to the recording. l now know I’m right.
Pretending to feel for fallen officers with the link when in this case the officer can’t seem to shoot straight. Why does piss poor preparation and training require us to believe this BS?
The pretend Grand Jury in Ferguson was never set up to find the truth, only to get a favored police officer off the hook for the death. It was never a true grand jury empaneled to look for proper charges to be filed. It was a whitewash designed to cover up the stupidity and racism of the police / judicial system in St Louis County.
The Grand Jury is not designed to be a finder of fact only a panel of citizens determining if there are charges to prosecute.
The courtroom with a judge and a jury of peers determines guilt and innocence after ALL relevant evidence is presented.
In today’s world I would not want to be a policeman. If in fact most crimes are economically driven, AND there are more guns than people, bad things are bound to happen. Throw in the fact that police more and more are being trained as para-military units and we have the perfect storm of what is happening all over this country.
I noticed our local guys are doing some really good things also. Think patrolmen out bowling with kids.
A couple of really good reads.
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/6282012
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/955508
LJL my blame is on the NRA for creating a cultural climate in which the police are always; FIRST and FOREMOST – AFRAID of the citizens they will encounter.
You seem to be the type that police SHOULD be first and foremost – AFRAID OF if encountered.
And BTW – my nephew – military trained MP – is now a town cop. His chief – a 25 year MARINE Corps MP. I have an damned good idea who these guys are, and what their mindset is. They DO NOT “identify” with the every day citizen. They believe they are superior – heroic, and we’re NOT. The “lack of respect” goes both ways.
BTW LJL – a few of the village bullies have come knocking on my door. They always leave with their tails between their legs, and NOT because I answer the door with a gun in hand.
The police in Sioux Falls are a problem. They harassed me weekly at my home for a year while I sued the city constitutionally and eventually won. There was never a charge. They showed up at my door and taunted me. They recruited my neighbor to make complaints and I had to defend against false charges. A code enforcer sat outside on many evenings. I installed cameras covering my whole yard and got pictures I used for complaints that were never investigated. They harassed me 5 years.
They harassed another party 20 years till he finally cleared himself in court. He endured much more than I did.
One officer seized a bike saying it was stolen from a pawn shop. I wonder how regular they walk out with a bonus.
Two made a false unethical complaint against Mr. Staggers that cost him the mayor’s election. He had to clear himself at his expense.
Five fired 71 rounds into a quiet neighborhood at an unarmed innocent man.
They extradicted and arrested a 16 year old girl from Minnesota. Someone used her drivers license to cash a check. The cashier gave a description of a middle aged woman.
There’s lots more. It’s unrecorded. Make a complaint and it disappears via Reid Holson in personnel. I made 5 I have a record of they say didn’t happen.
Sioux Falls is safe except for the Police.
How often do we have to see our untrained unprofessional police personnel continuing to shoot before thinking?
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/01/kansas-family-calls-police-for-help-with-belligerent-son-and-now-hes-dead/
Militarization of police forces encourages the weak amongst us to feel safe when they should really be scared. Scared of the police.
Most police department personnel who have returned from military service do not fully understand the Constitution they swear to protect and defend. They have been trained to be machines doing a job, the job of killing. These are great people who are being used by small minded control freaks, sent out to control. A cop who fires up to 6 shots first into the dark because he was scared, tells us he knows little about the real meaning of protect and serve.
Ask your police forces here and everywhere, “When was the last time you had psych training?” Civilian police aren’t hired to be military style killing machines.
To get the mayor’s attention, it takes media attention. He used the ‘Jesus plow blades’ for an opportunity. Instead of demonstrations, how about a prayer group outside his city hall window? He’ll never become governor but the groupies could show up and rally ‘Huether for Jesus’. Whatever it takes to keep the police hiding from casino robberies in parks without pistols.
Hey Plaintiff Guy,
Good for you for standing up for your rights! Never heard that story before, I’ll have to look it up.
As far as you saying “Five fired 71 rounds into a quiet neighborhood at an unarmed innocent man.”
I assume you are talking about THIS.
Once again you are ignoring the facts and talking about an armed, suicidal individual that fired his weapon at officers, but you want to make it seem like police overstepping their boundaries to suit your insane arguments. Innocent and unarmed? That would be like someone calling you unbiased and well informed.
And BTW DL, this post is inflammatory to a situation that doesn’t need it. Good work feeding the trolls!
AG, until they catch this ‘supposed’ gunman, I don’t think any of this is inflammatory. The scanner audio isn’t inflammatory at all, in fact it seems law enforcement was following procedures, that’s all I heard. I still think it was a walker or a homeless person in the wrong place at the wrong time with a flashlight in their hand.
People should not be afraid of their Governments,Governments should be afraid of their people.
In Art and Labor sicsempertyrannis
OBG